OCR A Level Psychology Psychological themes through core studies June 2017 question paper H567/02

In Bocchiaro et al.’s study on disobedience and whistleblowing, eight pilot tests were carried out before the main study:

Explain why Bocchiaro carried out these pilot tests.

In Bocchiaro et al.’s study into disobedience and whistleblowing a sample of 149 students were selected for the main study:

Outline one way this study may be considered ethnocentric.

In Levine et al.’s study into cross-cultural altruism, four community variables were recorded:

Describe how two of the community variables were measured.

Explain how Levine et al.’s study into cross-cultural altruism informs our understanding of cultural diversity in helping behaviour.

In Loftus and Palmer’s study on eyewitness testimony a laboratory experiment was used.

Describe why Loftus and Palmer’s study is considered a laboratory experiment.

Explain one weakness of using a laboratory experiment for this study.

Bandura et al.’s study on the transmission of aggression is based on the principles of social learning theory.

Outline social learning theory.

Outline how the results of Bandura et al.’s study on the transmission of aggression support social learning theory.

Outline how Lee et al.’s study links to the developmental area in psychology.

From Sperry’s ‘split brain’ study into the psychological effects of hemisphere deconnection:

Outline one way the results may be considered valid.

Casey et al.’s study examined behavioural and neural correlates of delay of gratification using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI):

Outline how delay of gratification is linked to regions in the brain.

Outline one difference between Blakemore and Cooper’s study on the impact of early visual experience and Maguire’s taxi driver study.

From Freud’s study of Little Hans:

What is meant by the term Oedipus complex?

Outline one piece of evidence that suggests Little Hans was experiencing the Oedipus complex.

Outline the different positions of the ‘psychology as a science’ debate.

Outline how one core study challenges the view that psychology can be considered a science. Support your answer with evidence from your chosen study.

* Discuss the extent to which psychology can be considered a science. Use examples from appropriate core studies to support your answer.

Compare the biological area to the behaviourist perspective. Use examples from appropriate core studies to support your answer.

An experiment in discrimination (the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different groups of people)

A psychology teacher splits her class of 20 students into two groups based on the colour of their eyes to test if this would lead to one group discriminating against the other. The blue-eyed group are told they are the superior group; they are her best students. The blue-eyed students are given extra support from the teacher and always praised for their behaviour. The brown-eyed children are set the same tasks in lessons, but are expected to work in silence without support. When a brown-eyed student asks for support with the lesson activity, the teacher points out that no blue-eyed children have asked for support; she says openly to the class “Not following instructions and low intelligence are clearly traits of brown-eyed students”. In response to this the blue-eyed students laughed.

During the study, the brown-eyed students became withdrawn, angry and the quality of their work declined. The blue-eyed children exceeded their predicted grades. The blue-eyed children went along with the situation even though they knew it was wrong. A brown-eyed student forgot their pencil case and one blue-eyed student remarked “that’s the sort of thing a brown-eyed student would do”.

Outline one possible reason why it was necessary to divide the students into a superior and inferior group to test for discrimination in this study. Justify your answer in relation to the source.

Outline one possible reason the blue-eyed students ‘exceeded their predicted grades’. Support your answer with evidence from the source.

Explain two ways the study in the source was not ethically considerate. Justify your answer in relation to the source.

Outline one reason the blue-eyed children ‘went along with the situation even though they knew it was wrong’. Support your answer with evidence from the source.

Explain how the source is relevant to the social area of psychology. Support your answer with evidence from the source.

Describe two changes you could make to the experiment detailed in the source material.

*Discuss the implications of the suggestions you made in question 10(f).